The big question now is, will we be fooled again? Will we again ignore the age old wisdom of our conservative dads?
As the choice for President comes closer, I can't forget this.
Although Barack Obama's father wasn't much of a father, the power of fathers is such that a boy and a young man can build his life on the ideals of even an absent father. The ideals of Barack Obama's absent father happen to be socialist ideals. And Obama hasn't hid the fact that his political life has been build on the ideals of his abscent father, instilled in him by his left wing mother. Actually, Obama wrote a book about it. And it no doubt didn't help that the man his grandfather sent Barack to as a mentor and substitute father was a member of the Communist Party, U.S.A.
If you haven't caught on yet, Barack Obama did not have a conservative dad, and Americans need to stop pretending that Obama thinks like a man who grew up learning all the commonsense American wisdom of all those conservative dads (whether immigrant or native born) who explained to so many of us how America works and what makes America succeed. Obama didn't have that kind of dad and he doesn't have that kind of wisdom, and it's folly to pretend otherwise.
So what about John McCain?
Well, whatever his flaws, John McCain did have an old fashioned conservative father, and an old fashioned conservative grandfather. It's certainly true that John McCain's father and grandfather were absent a lot also. But all you need to understand them -- and John McCain -- is to take a look at this. McCain talks about his father and grandfather -- and what they mean to him -- here.
UPDATE: A related article from Peter Schweizer in the Daily Mail:
There is plenty of data that shows that Right-wingers are happier, more generous to charities, less likely to commit suicide - and even hug their children more than those on the Left.
In my experience, they are also more honest, friendly and well-adjusted.
Much of this springs from the destructive influence of modern liberal ideas.
In the Sixties, we saw the beginning of a narcissism and self-absorption that gripped the Left and has not let go.
The full-scale embrace of the importance of self-awareness, self-discovery and being 'true' to oneself, along with the idea that the State should care for the less fortunate, has created a swathe of Left-wing people who want to outsource their obligations to others.
The statistics I base this on come from the General Social Survey, America's premier social research database, but they are just as relevant to the UK, as I believe political belief systems drive one's attitudes, regardless of where you happen to live.
Those surveyed were asked: 'Is it your obligation to care for a seriously injured/ill spouse or parent, or should you give care only if you really want to?' Of those describing themselves as 'conservative', 71 per cent said it was. Only 46 per cent of those on the Left agreed.
To the question: 'Do you get happiness by putting someone else's happiness ahead of your own?', 55 per cent of those who said they were 'very conservative' said Yes, compared with 20 per cent of those who were 'very liberal'.
It's been my experience that conservatives like to talk about things outside of themselves while progressives like to discuss themselves: how they are feeling and what their desires are. That might make for a good therapy session but it's not much fun over a long dinner.
Research also indicates those on the Left are less interested in getting married: 30 per cent of those who were 'very liberal' said it was important, in contrast to 65 per cent of Right-wingers.
The same holds true when the question of having children arises .. While 69 per cent of those who called themselves 'very conservative' said it was important for them to have children, only 38 per cent of corresponding liberals agreed.
Many on the Left proudly proclaim themselves 'child-free'. While some do not want children on ecological grounds, much has to do with the fact that they simply don't want the responsibility of having a child.
When asked by the World Values Survey whether parents should sacrifice their own well-being for those of their children, those on the Left were nearly twice as likely to say No ..
Political polling establishes that modern Presidential races and most governorships come down to a contest between those who don't have have children in the house or aren't married against married couples with children in the household. Steve Sailer believes that the effect of affordable family formation on parents even explains the divide between "blue state" regions of the country and "red state" regions (be sure to scroll down to his graph of the effect of this divide on Presidential politics).
It's not hard to guess where all those Conservative Dads live -- the ones who've been right about history, right about the economy, and right about America.
UPDATE II: Where have all the dads gone? If you don't have a conservative dad, there's a good chance you don't have a dad at all:
The nation's out-of-wedlock birth rate is 38%. Among white children, 28% are now born to a single mother; among Hispanic children it is 50% and reaches a chilling, disorienting peak of 71% for black children. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly a quarter of America's white children (22%) do not have any male in their homes; nearly a third (31%) of Hispanic children and over half of black children (56%) are fatherless.
This represents a dramatic shift in American life. In the early 1960s, only 2.3% of white children and 24% of black children were born to a single mom. Having a dad, in short, is now a privilege, a ticket to middle-class status on par with getting into a good college.
The odds increase for a child's success with the psychological and financial stability rooted in having two parents. Having two parents means there is a greater likelihood that someone will read to a child as a preschooler, support him through school, and prevent him from dropping out, as well as teaching him how to compete, win and lose and get up to try again, in academics, athletics and the arts. Maybe most important of all is that having a dad at home is almost a certain ticket out of poverty; because about 40% of single-mother families are in poverty ..
"If you are concerned about reducing child poverty then you have to focus on missing fathers," says Roland Warren, president of the National Fatherhood Initiative, based in Gaithersburg, Md. ..
A study of black families 10 years ago, when the out-of-wedlock birthrate was not as high as today, found that single moms reported only 20% of the "baby's daddy" spent time with the child or took a "lot" of interest in the baby ..
In his own life, [Walter] Myers, [a best-selling author of books for teenagers], often looked down on the man in his house: his stepfather, who worked as a janitor and was illiterate. He felt this man had little to teach him.
Then his own son complained one day that he, Myers, "sounded just like granddad" when he told the boy to pick up after himself, to work harder and show respect to people.
"I didn't know it at the time," says Mr. Myers of his stepfather, "but just having him around meant I was picking up his discipline, his pride, his work ethic. . ." He adds: "Until I heard it from my son I never understood it."
UPDATE III: Barack Obama goes after the conservative dad vote, stealing themes from Chris Rock and Bill Cosby (read this recent Chicago Tribune interview with Bill Cosby):
We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. Too many fathers are M.I.A, too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.
I know what [Obama] is trying to do is to push more men to be involved in their children's lives, but the way he is saying it, he is siding with traditionalists who think the male role is special, distinctive, and necessary.
That's right. Obama is taking sides with your conservative dad.
UPDATE IV: Interesting comments section at Althouse, including this:
And this:Wow, yesterday Obama came out in favor of bike helmets and today we note that he is in favor of fatherhood. He certainly is not afraid to take a forthright stand on the tough issues ....
Ya'll do realize this was Obama's Sister Souljah speech, right? The speech wasn't aimed at men who abandon their families, it was aimed at white middle-of-the-roaders, aka Reagan Democrats.